Hunger Games Galaxies: District 9
by War292004
Summary: The ninth district of the Hunger Games Galaxies, the world of Unified Symphonia. May the odds be ever in your favorite characters' favor. Part 9/13
1. Chapter 1

**The Hunger Games Galaxies: District 9**

Sylvarant and Tethe'alla had undergone enormous changes… it was hard to think that the worlds, which had so far been separate, would suddenly find themselves brought together, through the Journey of Regeneration. As the world struggled to understand and accept this, other truths came to light, about the truth behind Desians, the Church of Martel, and, of course, the Reapings. Before the unification, the waning world was subjected to this curse, seen as a ploy by the Greater Gods of the insignificance of life. Now, with the unification, new challenges were presented.

Thus, it was degreed that the reaping would henceforth be done yearly, with each former country submitting children and teens from its towns and cities, based on a population percentage. A total of three thousand children were then brought to a previously-determined point (in this years' case, Palmacosta), where the final Reaping was done, and the tributes selected.

Further, this year provided even more changes. The only one they knew of beforehand was a relaxing of age restrictions. That meant people who were previously safe from the Reaping were thrown back into the turmoil, as the possible tributes made their way into the central area of Palmacosta, in front of the school and chapel.

"Lloyd, please, what ever you do, promise me you won't volunteer," said Colette, suddenly.

"Colette…?' said Lloyd. "Uh… what's this all of a sudden?"

"No matter what, no matter who gets chosen… let's make a pact not to volunteer. We have so much we have to do on this world, to change it for the better…" said Colette. "We can't afford to waste our lives in this barbaric contest."

"Okay, okay, if it makes you feel better," said Lloyd, smiling at the former Chosen. "I won't volunteer, okay?"

"Let's get everyone else to agree on it, too!" she said, excitedly. "Have you seen Genis or Raine?"

"No," said Lloyd, sighing. "They disappeared when we first got here."

Iselia, per their percentage, were required to send 18 children to the reaping. The initial reaping was, to put it mildly, shady. Lloyd, Genis, Colette, Genis, and Raine all just happened to be selected to go. Colette's father and grandmother, a priestess of the Greater Gods herself, had begun to protest, but the Mayor quickly shut them down for trying to instigate a riot. So, they had left together, none feeling particularly good about it, but still aware that their chances for selection were fairly low.

"Look, one of the boats from Tethe'alla just got in," said Lloyd, pointing.

It carried the main group from Meltokio, and they counted well over three hundred tributes stepping off the boat. It wasn't hard to immediately spot Zelos and Seles Wilder, who had to be supported by her brother as they walked carefully down the plank to the dock. And not far behind them came Presea, walking alone from the rest of her group. She immediately made a beeline for the Iselian group, though Zelos initially kept his distance.

"Presea… you too?" asked Colette, frowning.

"Yes," she replied, nodding.

"How many did Ozette send?" asked Lloyd. "No offense, but it doesn't seem like there are enough people there to warrant any sort of reaping anymore…"

"Three," said Presea, nonchalantly. "I volunteered."

"What? Why?" asked Colette, aghast.

"The families of Ozette… they must focus on rebuilding… they cannot do this if they have to be worried about their children," said Presea, calmly. "I do not feel as though I will be chosen. But if I am… I won't lose."

"That's true, I'd really hate to face you in the arena," said Lloyd, smiling.

"Lloyd? Colette? Presea?" came a surprised cry from behind them.

Genis and Raine had finally arrived, and they were shocked to see Sheena with them, too.

"Hello, Genis," said Presea, nodding to him. "I see you were initially reaped as well."

"Y-yeah," said Genis, blushing. "But… you can't fight, Presea! You have to be careful!"

"I will not lose," repeated Presea. "But… Sheena…?"

"I volunteered, of course," said Sheena. "As the future leader of Mizhuho, I must be one of the ones to take charge. Even if that means possibly putting my life in danger."

"I'm surprised Mizuho didn't fly under the radar," said Lloyd. "How many did you guys have to send?"

"We may fly under the radar of Meltokio, but the Gods see all. We know better than to defy them," said Sheena. "But to answer your other question, we sent nine all-told, though we combined with a few outer-lying settlements. But we shouldn't have to worry. Things should go smoothly as long as we are careful."

"Don't worry, Sheena, you'll be fine," came a drawl from behind them. "With your body and… outlandish… personality… you'll have sponsors lined up around the corner."

"Zelos… even you can manage to ruin this nice reunion," said Sheena, smirking. "Hi."

"'Sup?" he greeted everyone, grinning lazily. "Regal sends his regards, and his regret that he can't be here directly to support us. Space was limited on the ships and they made it space available only to those who had been reaped plus one family member."

"Good, we're all here then!" Colette exclaimed, as the first priests and priestesses ascended the stage and the Peacekeepers marched in to form a barrier between the tributes and the families. "I think we should make a pact. I was just telling Lloyd… no matter what happens, or who gets reaped… we can't volunteer. We have too much work to do, too much to change. Deal…?"  
"Right," everyone said, nodding.

The tension in the city center was thick. The Sylvaranti people tried to stay separate from the Tethe'allans, but it was hard to do because there were thousands upon thousands of people grouped around them. Magitech cameras floated around, as a huge screen up above flashed views from around the city of tributes, families, and the stage itself. Finally, the introductory hymns and seals appeared, and everyone sang their praises before the ceremony started.

"Good afternoon," said a high priestess. "We will shortly begin the Reaping. There are several surprises we have in store for you today, approved and/or requested by the Gods themselves, but those will be revealed later. For now… I introduce todays Master of Ceremonies: High Priestess Phaidra."

Colette gasped. They'd seen the old woman up on stage, but they had no idea she'd be reading the actual names. The elderly woman hobbled to the microphone and podium as there was respectful applause for her. Those from Iselia cheered an whistled in support. It certainly wasn't a happy situation, but they wanted her to know that she at least had their emotional support.

"If I do call your name," she said. "Please take that moment to approach the stage. The Peacekeepers around the edge will be sure to protect you."

It had been a while, but there had been riots in the past. The worst one was in Meltokio over seventy years previous, when two lower class kids had been picked, despite an overwhelming majority of upper class children being in the pool. The ensuing riots left over eighty people dead, including one of the chosen tributes and another eighteen unreaped. Sylvarant had a similar situation some years later, though with only twenty-seven dead. Since then, there'd been very strict control by the Peacekeepers, who were often armed with weapons very few people could clearly identify.

"We will start with the young ladies. I wish you the best of luck," said Phaidra. "… and… the tribute for District 9 this year… Presea Combatir."

Shock and screams ran through the Heroes of Regeneration, as everyone turned to Presea. She allowed one moment of brief surprise to cross her face, before her taciturn look returned. She began to walk forward, as Genis felt his eyes watering up. Lloyd and Zelos gritted their teeth and rage, and Sheena and Colette both opened their mouths as if they were going to say something… but they stopped. There was no denying that they wanted to volunteer, but their pact kept them silent… and plus… it _was_ Presea…

"… Do we have any volunteers?" asked Phaidra, looking around the audience.

Silence greeted her.

"Someone… anyone…" muttered Genis.

"We made that pact… so… we can't… even if we want to…" Colette began, tears in her eyes.

"She's strong," said Lloyd. "Don't take this the wrong way, but I have absolute faith that she'd have the best chance in these games."

"Me too," said Raine. "After everything she's been through, plus her small frame… she'll be fine."

"But it's so cruel…" muttered Colette, still having huge tears slide down her face.

"… very well," aid Phaidra, finally. "In that case, failing any volunteers… let us continue with our male tribute. And his name is… … oh my… … G-Genis Sage."

"I volunteer!" cried Lloyd.

"Lloyd!" screamed Zelos and Sheena. "Didn't we just-!"

"He's my best friend!" cried Lloyd. "I can't just let him-!"

"I reject the volunteer," said Genis, proudly stepping forward. "I, a half-elf, will compete."

That did it. Anyone who would have likely volunteered for him probably stopped at that point, and it was almost sickening to realize that there was an air of relief sweeping through the entire audience. A half-elf. No loss, really, even if they didn't lose. Some even clapped and whistled… though the thought behind it was not pure.

"Genis, you don't know what you're doing!" cried Lloyd.

"I'm protecting Presea!" Genis yelled back. "I will be fine!"  
"Lloyd, let it go," hissed Zelos, suddenly. "The cameras. Let him be strong; don't forget the sponsors."

He was right. If Genis didn't look like he could do it himself, he wouldn't be able to get the sponsors he needed to get an advantage. Surely the Gods wouldn't look down on him for being half-elven. Perhaps he'd even get a leg-up on the competition.

"And… do we have any volunteers…?" asked Phaidra, obviously fighting back her own emotions at sending one of her granddaughter's childhood friends to the arena. "Very well… in that case… volunteers are closed. At this time… a special announcement from the Gods…"

She hobbled back a few feet to stand next to Genis and Presea, who were standing shoulder-to-shoulder, staring at the ground. The original high priestess who had started the ceremony returned and stood once more at the podium.

"It has been decided that, among other changes, this year's Hunger Games will not include sponsorships of any sort," she said. "Please make note."

Gasps and panic flooded through the arena, as did guilt. Lloyd actually felt his legs shaking. Now Genis and Presea, though powerful in their own rights, would be put in the arena with no help what-so-ever. Colette's stricken look told them that she was rethinking her rash no-volunteering policy. And Raine, who held it together long enough for the cameras to pan away and back to the stage, finally let herself collapse into tears, supported by Sheena as she wept for her brother, who was heading into the arena with no help at all.

**Author's Notes:**

**Short explanation time on how this whole ordeal is going to work!**

**The games themselves are still in progress, so for now I'm only doing the intro stuff. All events that take place in the Districts will be in their appropriately-titled stories in the proper crossover section. Once that's all taken care of and it collapses into one story, I'll put the title at the end of each District Introduction Section (or just click on my author name to find it yourself). **

**The entire story is being decided solely on a complicated series of dice rolls, to prevent bias on my part and to make it so even I have no idea how this is going to end or who is going to win. **

**Let me be clear: this is not going to be an "everyone bands together and fights the evil powers and they all survive" story. As of writing this paragraph, twelve tributes are dead. So if you see your favorite character selected… well, don't get mad if they don't make it through.**

**That's all for now. May the odds be ever in your (favorite characters') favor.**

**ALSO: Starting from here-on, I've put the schedule of updates on my profile, so you can know when the next installments of my stories are coming out. It's not going to be perfect due to my job, so I might miss a few deadlines here and there, but, overall, it's a good indicator of when you can expect things to be out.**


	2. Chapter 2

**The Hunger Games Galaxies**

**District 9 Introduction: Part 2**

"Citizens of the Twelve Districts…" came the sound from around them all. "Welcome to the Reaping. As you send your courageous Tributes off to the field of battle, keep in your hearts the hope for them to return victorious! It is only with your encouragement and prayers that they may have an edge in battle!"

The Voice of the Gods spoke to them as a static image of space was displayed on the enormous, floating screens behind the stage Phaidra, Genis, Presea, and the other "esteemed guests" for the Reaping sat on. Down in the crowd, everyone in the Heroes of Regeneration group was still reeling, fighting back tears, and trying to make sense of what had just happened. But the Reaping marched on as the voice continued to make more announcements.

"Each year, the 24 tributes provide ample opportunity for not only the Gods but all of you in the Districts to observe each other in a cultural exchange of sorts… but we were wondering… how could we make this exchange even stronger and more varied…?"

"… Wait a minute…" Raine said, hear tears abruptly cutting off. "Surely they're not…?"

The worried murmurs in around them told them that everyone was arriving at the same conclusion. Lloyd glanced at Colette and the two shared a bewildered look, but everyone else was already wide-eyed with horror.

"And therefore, the Gods have decreed that, from each District, we shall Reap a second group of tributes, ensuring this year's Hunger Games provides even more entertainment than the last!" cried the Voice.

The mysterious metallic weapons were already giving off their loud cracks when the first screams of rage and horror rang through the audience. The most ruthless of Peacekeepers were always assigned to District 9, thanks to their history, and most of the crowd hit the ground and threw their arms above their heads. The images of retaliation for the smallest of offenses still hung in their minds from previous years. It didn't take them long to stop any displays of anger or noncompliance.

"W… well… in… in that case… I shall continue the Reaping ceremony…" Phaidra said, shakily stumbling to the large, clear bowl that held the females' names. They could almost hear her screaming for Colette's safety in her head as she approached the microphone and unrolled the small scroll. There was a brief look of relief in her eyes as she read the name. "Seles Wilder."

The reaction was instantaneous from Zelos, who sprinted haphazardly through the crowd, knocking people out of the way and screaming his sisters' name. He got to her well before the Peacekeepers did and she buried her face in his chest, her entire body quaking with sobs. But all too soon the white-clad servants of the Gods were pulling them apart, shouting orders directly into their ears. As Zelos continued to protest and defy them, one raised the back of his weapon and brought it down onto Zelos' head.

"Zelos!" screamed Sheena and Colette at the same time as their friend fell to the ground and was slowly dragged away by two others. Seles was hysterical at that point, but she was no match for the hulking Peacekeepers who practically had to drag her to the stage.

"Where are they taking him?" asked Lloyd, who was gritting his teeth and clenching his fists so hard that it hurt.

"Probably to healers… or a jail cell…" said Raine, wiping her eyes? "They wouldn't dare keep him from his sister; the shock and dramatic value of such a famous figure's goodbye to his sibling… the Gods themselves wouldn't dream of denying that view to their audience."

"So he'll be okay… good," said Colette, breathing a huge sigh of relief.

"Until the Reaping is over… after that… who knows…" muttered Sheena.

Phaidra tried to calm down Seles but she was totally inconsolable and she was being urged to finish the Reaping by the original Head Priestess, so Phaidra left Presea to awkwardly place her arm around her until she could get the second male's name read. After digging deep in the barrel for a name near the bottom, Phaidra came back to the microphone, unrolled the scroll, and spoke very slowly and clearly. "From Heimdall… Mithos Yggdrasil."

There were no shouts of surprise and very few gasps. The elf population present at the Reaping was incredibly small; only about two hundred total from both Sylvarant and Tethe'alla had come to Palmacosta. But they were also well aware of something else. Mithos was a half-elf.

When he walked to the stage, nobody clapped or said anything. The young, blonde boy stood next to Genis, who was trembling and had fresh tears in his eyes.

"Genis. Let's make District 9 a victor, ok?" said Mithos, his voice echoing around the Reaping area.

"O-of course…' said Genis. "But… how…?"

"Don't worry about it," said Mithos, brightly. "It was worth it."

"This… this concludes District 9's Reaping… unless there are volunteers…?" asked Phaidra.

"I won't accept a volunteer even if he should dare step forward," said Mithos. "Neither human nor elf. Neither race is good enough to take the place of a half-elf."

Again another wave of shock and relief. Half the tributes were half-elves… so, all-in-all, it was a fantastic year of Reaping. Lloyd was forcibly reminded of his first reaping, where both chosen tributes were half-elf and there had practically been a nationwide celebration over the whole situation. Neither had survived past the first day.

"This shall be my final announcement. To each of our Districts… and to our viewing entities… there is one additional rule change to this year's Hunger Games. If the last 2, 3, or 4 tributes are from the same district, they shall be declared the victor, and the Games will end."

"Did… did you hear that…" Colette said.

"I… can't believe it…" muttered Sheena.

"This is… wonderful!" cried Raine. "They can win! They've fought together… or… against each other… several times!"

"So then there's still hope!" Lloyd exclaimed, practically jumping with excitement. "District 9 is going to win. No doubt about it."

Half an hour later, they were permitted to enter the Church of Martel, where each of the Tributes was being secluded to say goodbye to the others. Their first stop was Genis' room.

"Have you seen Presea? How is she? What about Mithos?" asked their young friend. "Is Zelos okay?"  
"No… we came to see you first, I mean," said Colette, quickly stumbling to sit in one of the seats. "So we don't know…"

"Zelos will be fine," said Raine, confidently. "Think of how tragic that goodbye scene is going to be."

"Yeah…" Genis said, sitting on the small couch and twiddling his thumbs. They were silent for almost a whole minute.

"Genis… you're going to win," said Lloyd. "All of you. It's going to be an amazing victory and an upset."

"It'll be just like that one year where the last eight tributes were all the youngest ones,' said Sheena. "Except this year you're all going to win it for us."

"I've been thinking about that," said Genis. "If I can just get my hands on some magic weaponry… and if Presea can find an ax of some sort… I know we can protect the others. And if Seles and Mithos get… well… anything…"

"Yeah, they were really powerful… but don't forget, they're taking off your exspheres for the battles," said Sheena.

"Oh… right, I forgot about that…" said Genis.

There was a knock on the door. Time was running out.

"Um… if you guys don't mind… I'd like a few minutes alone with Raine, so…" said Genis.

"Oh! Right," said Colette. "Um… w-well… please… be careful…"

She hugged Genis tightly, as did Sheena. Lloyd walked up to his best friend, but he couldn't think of anything to say. Genis seemed similarly lost for words. Finally, Lloyd just caught him in a crushing hug, and both started to shake with the effort of holding back their tears. The door opened and a Peacekeeper beckoned the others out.

"Well… who should we go see next?" asked Sheena, as Lloyd and Colette became too overcome with emotion outside Genis' room.

"U-um… P-presea…" Colette said.

They were surprised to see a Peacekeeper blocking her door, and even more surprised to see that Presea actually had a visitor. After waiting for a few more minutes, the door opened and a rather large woman dressed in a flowery housedress walked away, drying her eyes on the apron she was wearing over her dress. They went inside and saw Presea sitting against the wall, absently observing her hand.

"Who was that, Presea?" asked Colette.

"The mother of the child I volunteered for," said Presea. "She… came to thank me…"

"That… that was a very brave thing you did for her daughter," said Sheena.

"Yeah… Presea, you're amazing…" muttered Lloyd.

Presea shook her head. "I… I am just doing what I have to. It is like I told you before, I don't plan to lose. I will protect everyone else and we will return victorious."

"That's the spirit!" exclaimed Sheena. "Just don't forget that resolve in the arena."

"I won't," she said. "Even still… I want to say goodbye to you, just in case something doesn't go according to plan."

She shook everyone's hands and gave them a rare, tiny smile. It was too much for Colette, who was crying into Sheena's shoulder. Lloyd was certain he felt a small tremble run through her hand when he shook it, but didn't say anything. She was trying to be strong for everyone, even without any sponsors to act for. The knock on the door told them their time was up, so they headed outside.

"Seles or Mithos?" asked Sheena.

"Let's go see Mithos," said Lloyd. "Zelos is probably still with Seles."

"For this long? You think they'd let him see her all this time?" asked Colette.

"Like the Professor said… this is gold for the Gods' viewers," said Lloyd. "Whereas… I don't think Mithos has had any visitors."

When they walked inside, they found the half-elf sitting on the windowsill, staring across the harbor and into the vast ocean. He slowly turned to face them and a very small smile played across his face as he beckoned them to sit down. The refreshments they'd been provided were untouched.

"Mithos… I'm so sorry…" said Colette, after the awkward silence reached the minute mark.

"Don't be," said Mithos. "It was I who placed myself in this situation to begin with."

"I've been bothered by that, actually," said Sheena. "How did you get to become a Heimdall tribute? I thought they didn't let half-elves into that city…"

"They don't," said Mithos. "Leastwise, not regularly. But when I visited again, I gave them a proposal. I would volunteer for one of their children if they allowed me to enter."

"And they accepted that?" asked Lloyd.

"A version of it. They said that as long as I promised to volunteer, they'd grant me access for one day," said Mithos.

"To be fair, you did destroy half the city…" Sheena muttered. "It's a wonder they let you in at all."

"It could be a form of their revenge, I suppose," said Mithos, shrugging. "I don't deny that I've done some reprehensible things… but I suppose I have you all to thank for showing me the light."

"But that's still not right," muttered Lloyd. "But… I know how you feel… I bet if I hadn't been chosen for Iselia, I would have volunteered for it anyway."

"Are you… okay with this, then?" asked Colette.

"Yes. If Genis and I can win, it'll grant some respect for half-elves in this world," said Mithos. "So… I won't lose."

Again the knock ended their short time together. Lloyd, Colette, and Sheena wished Mithos luck one final time before they walked across the foyer to the final room. Inside, they found Seles and Zelos sitting on the couch as she carefully cleaned dried blood off his face. Colette gasped and hurried over to help, though Seles seemed irritated at the interruption.

"It's fine, he's my brother, I'll take care of him," she hissed.

"Yes, but he's our good friend," replied Sheena, also picking up a wet cloth. "How is he?"

"He's… in and out of it. I think they gave him a concussion," said Seles. "All because I panicked… he was so worried about me…"

"Seles, don't beat yourself up over that," said Lloyd. "Knowing Zelos, he would have done the same whether you panicked or not."

"Why… why didn't you volunteer for her…?"

The anger in Zelos's voice shocked Colette and Sheena. He struggled to sit up, fighting against Seles's attempts to make him lie down. He fixed them all with a furious stare.

"Why didn't anyone volunteer for her? Can't they see that she's frail? Is every girl and woman in this… in this world… going to turn their back on my sister just like that?!" he snarled.

With every word, Zelos' voice grew. Alarmed, Colette and Sheena took a few steps back. Behind them, the door burst open and Rain strode in, her staff in hand as Genis, Presea, and Mithos came in after her. She stood in the center of the room and focused momentarily, before the light of a healing spell encased Zelos, causing him to gasp and slump back against the arm of the couch.

"Zelos…? Are you okay…?" Sheena asked, leaning over him.

His eyes opened and he grinned. "Why Sheena… such a compromising position… and in front of all of our friends, too? I'm not complaining, of course, but… have you no shame?"

Sheena gritted her teeth and turned away with a pained smile on her face. "Yeah… he's fine now…"

"If the Peacekeepers would just learn to use proper magic as opposed to their baseline first aid…" muttered Raine, haughtily. "But… anyway… we don't have much time… the Peacekeepers are planning to move… so this is it."

Saying goodbye to Seles was awkward as she wasn't much a part of their group. They gave Zelos and Seles some more privacy now that his head was clearer, and they emerged a few minutes later both looking a little worse for the wear but determined to go to the sendoff without tears. The tributes were taken separately, but their friends were given front-row seats at the dock to watch them board the brand new steamship that would take them to an undisclosed island which had the portal on it.

There was an air of forced celebration at the docks, as the Gods wanted every sendoff to be a party. But the Heroes of Regeneration weren't able to keep up that façade for long as Genis, Presea, Mithos, and Seles were marched by them, giving one last forlorn wave as they stepped onboard and the gangway was retracted. As the ship began to turn to head to sea, Zelos finally spoke.

"I… don't remember what I was saying when my head was all busted up so… I'm sorry," said Zelos. "That… that wasn't fair of me… and super not cool."

"I understand," said Colette. "I can't imagine what you were going through…"

"But it goes beyond the pact… and all of you," said Zelos. "Every girl, every woman I've ever been with… and not one of them could take Seles' place…"

Nobody had anything to say to that. As the ship got further and further into the horizon, growing smaller with each passing moment, the crowd began to thin out. A small contingency of Peacekeepers remained behind to make sure nobody did anything rash like go after the tributes' boat, but all the High Priests and Priestesses were gone, as were the cameras, and the stage was already being disassembled. Everyone was headed back to their hometowns to go about their lives for a couple days until they were forced to watch the actual games themselves.

"They'll be back. I'm sure of it," said Colette, confidently. "And like you said… it's going to be an amazing upset and put District 9 in the history books. The first district full of kids to win the Hunger Games."

"Yeah…" said Lloyd, smiling and putting his arm around Colette. "That's exactly what's going to happen. See you soon, Genis… Presea… Seles… and Mithos…"

**Author's Notes:**

**Specific to this Story: I actually forgot to throw in justification for Mithos being… well… alive and well. So… here's my half-assed attempt: after fighting him so forcefully, the Heroes of Regeneration were able to change Mithos' mind. And there may have been a vision from his sister as he lay near-death in a coma. But, long story short, he accepted that destroying the world was not the right way to fix things and vowed to join them on fixing the world they had to make it better as best they could. Yeah… that.**

**THAT BEING SAID: This completes the introduction for District 9. Once the remaining introductions are uploaded for the remaining districts, I will finally be able to start writing the story of the actual games, starting with the introductory parade and interviews.**


End file.
